Sweet potatoes and kale hold a perennial place in my meal rotation, but one recent evening, so close to the summer solstice, they looked awfully frumpy.
Nothing some Latin glamour couldn't fix.
Swapping the pale white beans they're used to sharing quarters with for some sassy little black numbers helped.
Dusting the sweet potatoes with chili powder before roasting them provided a great base tan.
Some garlic, lime juice, and honey yanked the mopey kale out of its own head.
Laying the trio out onto a par-crisped tortilla with some crumbled goat cheese on top (just because) plus a few more minutes under the blazing heat got them primed for finishing touches: lime-brightened avocado chunks, slivers of sweet red onion, and cilantro.
Next time, I'll do a quick pickle of those red onions and maybe add some sliced radishes.
You know, just to keep things fresh.
Sweet potato, kale, black bean, and goat cheese tostadas
Serves 4
- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- olive oil
- chili powder
- salt
- 1 clove of garlic, lightly crushed
- 1 bunch kale, torn into smallish pieces
- a short squeeze of honey
- 2 limes
- 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 large tortillas
- 2 oz. goat cheese
- 1 small avocado
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- leaves from 3 sprigs of cilantro
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil.
Toss the diced sweet potatoes with olive oil and as much chili powder and salt as you are feeling. Spread them onto one of your prepared sheet pans and roast them in the oven until they are enviously bronzed on the outside and relaxed on the inside, 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil and set it, along with the crushed garlic clove, over medium heat. When your oil is shimmering, add the kale, remembering to stand back while it throws its spluttering tantrum. Once it's calmed down, give it a sprinkle of salt, that little squeeze of honey, and the juice of one of the limes to help it wilt. Scatter the beans into the pan to warm up to the kale a bit.
Once your sweet potatoes are out of the oven, leave it turned on and tip the potatoes into a bowl, just to get them out of the way. Place two tortillas on each foil-lined sheet pan and brush them with some olive oil. Put them in the oven to crisp up, 3 minutes or so.
Divvy the sweet potatoes and the kale and bean mixture over the four tortillas and make it rain goat cheese over each. Return the tostadas to the oven for a 5-6 minute sojourn.
While you are waiting, dice your avocado and squeeze half of the second lime over top along with a dash of salt. Cut the remaining lime half into quarters for serving.
Cut the tostadas with a pizza cutter, or just leave them whole and watch the different styles of attack. Doll them up with diced avocado, red onion, and cilantro (if you don't think that it's the devil's herb), or anything else summery. One can never have too many accessories.